


triple bluff

by fluffysfics



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Humour, Light Angst, M/M, Treat Fic, Very Bad Flirting, pre-s9e01 The Magician’s Apprentice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:40:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25971502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffysfics/pseuds/fluffysfics
Summary: Aiming for a party he can live out his last days in, the Doctor instead finds himself on a space station orbiting the sun. And of course, because the universe can’t let him have one easy day, his best enemy happens to be there as well.
Relationships: Twelfth Doctor/The Master (Simm)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27
Collections: Thoschei Prompt Exchange 2020





	triple bluff

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThoughtsCascade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThoughtsCascade/gifts).



> dialogue prompt for this was ‘is that my shirt’, but I have adjusted it lightly to suit the request better!

This was _not_ 1138\. 

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, giving her a slightly reproachful look, and glanced around. Some kind of a space station in solar orbit, judging from the feel of the air. Nuclear fusion always had a funny taste to it. 

Not a _manned_ space station, it was far too hot in here for humans. He frowned, glancing back at his ship. 

“Come on...what are you doing? Why _here_? What’s here? I told you, I wanted a party.” 

The TARDIS sat there, the lights in her windows glowing faintly in the dimness, and said absolutely nothing to him. Great. 

Rolling his eyes, the Doctor shoved his hands into his pockets, wandering off down the corridor, avoiding the thick, trailing cables that were everywhere. _Right before his imminent death_ seemed like it would be a great time for the TARDIS to cooperate for once, but apparently she didn’t agree. 

Fine. He’d go see what about this space station needed his attention. It was probably about to crash into the sun, or something. 

Except, when he got into the control room, there was another person standing there. 

A man, with short silvery-grey hair, removing wires from a control panel and trailing them inside a large black box of some kind. The man was... _familiar_. He made the a Doctor’s senses prickle in a way that no human ever did, not even Clara. 

And then he turned around, and the Doctor froze as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice on his head. He swore he could feel the cold cubes slithering down his spine, somehow, as he stared in shock at his old enemy. 

Even his usual face blindness couldn’t hide the Master from him. 

“Oh, great, an _interruption_.” The Master sighed, digging in his pocket. He pulled out his laser screwdriver, levelling it at the Doctor. “Prepare to die, human worm. Etcetera.” 

It occurred to the Doctor that he should probably do something about the fact that his ex-best friend was pointing a weapon at him. He blinked away the shock, shaking his head. 

“No! No no no, _huge_ mistake. You don’t want to zap me, I’m...ah, I’m-“ For once, he was regretting not checking his surroundings in the TARDIS. Was this a feasible year to have realistic repair droids? Human maintenance crews? Oh, the Master would probably kill a human crew member anyway. Repair droid it was. 

“I‘m the maintenance android,” he explained, trying to look as robotty as possible. “There’s been a, eh...leak. Fuel leak, yes, that’s it. Right there. So- I need to get to that control panel.” 

“You’re Scottish,” the Master said doubtfully, not stepping aside. 

_So are you, not so long from now_ , the Doctor thought to himself. 

“Yes, well, I just got a voice upgrade,” he explained, with a tight smile. 

Apparently this tidbit was too much for the Master. He scoffed, grabbing the front of the Doctor’s jacket, and then he paused. 

“Is that my coat? It _is_.” He frowned, shoving his hands against the Doctor’s chest to feel his hearts. 

Well. The game was up. The smart thing to do would be to turn and run, the Doctor knew. But...he hadn’t seen his old friend quite like this before. He looked older, calmer, more in control- he hadn’t tapped a drumbeat on anything the entire time the Doctor had been standing here. 

“Doctor! Oh, this is _interesting_. You’ve gone from all- _soft_ , to some doddery old man! Ha!”

“You missed the young one in the middle,” the Doctor said, folding his arms. “He wore _bowties_.” 

“Disgusting,” the Master said flatly, as if bowties were the worst sin a person could commit. “More importantly! What are you doing here? This is the _least_ interesting place in the whole galaxy, _why_ would you show up right when I do?” 

“Well, I think the TARDIS-“

“Oh, always the TARDIS,” the Master grumbled. “How is the old girl these days? She gotten over the paradox machine yet?” 

“No.” The Doctor sidestepped past him, examining the control panel, and then peering over to see where the wires were heading. The box...was a TARDIS. The Master had a TARDIS. _Great_. Just what the universe needed. At least Missy had been confined to a vortex manipulator. “What are _you_ doing here?” 

“Oh, right. Like I’m going to stand here and monologue my plan to you whilst you come up with a way to stop it. I wasn’t born yesterday.” The Master sneered. 

“The last time we met, I tricked you with an alien scientist in a helmet,” the Doctor reminded him, quietly starting to work on putting the wires back into their places. “A whole inch too tall! And you didn’t notice a thing.”

“Insufferable as ever, Doctor. Now, really, why are you wearing my jacket? Did you miss me that much?” 

It was just a teasing jab, but the Doctor fumbled the wires anyway, sending a spray of sparks shooting up from the control panel. He turned to look at the Master, his face like stone. 

He remembered Missy. The way she’d pleaded with him. The way he’d kissed her, and how despite everything, she’d still been shot. Dead. 

Not dead, the Doctor thought. Please, please not dead. She couldn’t be dead, she _never_ died. 

“Oh, did I strike a nerve? What have I missed?” The Master rubbed his hands together eagerly. 

“It’s not _your_ coat,” the Doctor said as evenly as he could. “It’s similar, entirely by accident.” 

That, he wasn’t sure of. It was possible, he supposed, that he’d been thinking of the Master when he picked it out. Unfortunately. This self could be very sentimental sometimes, without even really _meaning_ to do it. 

“Hm,” the Master said, like he didn’t believe a word of it. He still hadn’t put down the laser screwdriver, but it was lowered now, pointing at the floor. “You appear to be trying to fix the wiring. Very badly.” 

“It’s always been kind of an obligation, to fix things you’re trying to break.” The Doctor turned back to the control panel, carefully wiring each strand back into place. He’d get out his new sonic sunglasses to make it easier, but putting those on around the Master was just asking for trouble. He could do without being mocked right now. 

“Oh. Very deep. Used to be the other way around, didn’t it- eh, Theta? Little old me, fixing all of little old _you_ ’s silly mistakes.” 

The Doctor didn’t dignify that with a response. Thinking too much about Gallifrey still _ached_. 

“You look well,” he said instead. “And...older?” It was entirely possible that he wasn’t getting that right, but he thought he could be trusted to know the Master’s face, at least. 

“No more drums. And a _good_ long time on Gallifrey, before...I left.” 

“They kicked you out,” the Doctor said, still focused on the wiring. 

“Well, you know me.” 

The Doctor _did_ know him. Only too well. Well enough to know that it was suspicious that the Master hadn’t tried to stop him from fixing the control panel. 

So, he stopped fixing the control panel. 

Oh, unless it was a double bluff, and not fixing the panel was secretly what the Master wanted all along. Or maybe-

He was definitely overthinking this. The Doctor stood up straight, facing his old friend, and giving him his best stern glare. “What are you doing here?” 

“Draining their battery a bit,” the Master admitted, shrugging. “Look, I’m not even committing any crimes. This place is solar powered, and we’re right next to the _sun_. I need the power for my TARDIS, that’s all.” 

“Oh.” That was...surprisingly harmless. The Doctor frowned. Something niggled at the back of his mind, but he ignored it. That was always his problem. Wanting to believe the best of the Master, even when he had absolutely no reason to do so. 

“Yeah. _Oh_. Anyway, Doctor- did I miss much? Your last regeneration can’t have been a good one, if I never bothered hanging around to see him.” 

“Shut up.” 

“Ooh, you’re _rude_ now.” The Master stepped closer, trailing a fingertip down the red lining of the Doctor’s coat. “Last version of you I met wouldn’t say boo to a goose. I think I like it when you’ve got a little more spine. Although, he was _very_ pretty.” 

“Ah- I’ll be getting back to the TARDIS now,” the Doctor said, sidestepping the Master. He would draw the line at _flirting_. Especially after Missy. 

“Oh, no- don’t go so soon. I was enjoying catching up,” the Master said, pouting. “We never talk anymore, darling. Makes me wonder if you want a divorce.” 

Before the Doctor could unleash any biting comments about flirting, or possibly just turn red and stutter an excuse to leave, the TARDIS’ cloister bell rang. 

And then everything fell into place. 

“ _You_ \- TARDISes don’t run on solar power. Oh, I’m an idiot. Great big idiot. World class!” The Doctor pressed a hand against his forehead. The Master, meanwhile, looked _incredibly_ smug. 

“Wondered how long it would take you to notice.” 

“ _That’s_ why you didn’t care what I was doing to the controls- you’re not draining them. You’re draining _my_ ship!” The Doctor’s eyes went wide, and he turned to bolt back to his TARDIS, only to find the Master’s hand on the back of his coat. 

“Come on, dear, I knew you’d find me here eventually. Can’t blame a man for trying, can you?”

“Yes, I can!” The Doctor made an effort to pull away, but the Master pulled him back. 

“One more thing before you rush off to stop your precious ship from going dark. You do look _very_ nice in my jacket.” 

To his irritation, the Doctor felt heat flush his cheeks as he pulled away, making a dash back towards the TARDIS. 

It hadn’t been that long. She still had emergency power. Enough to get them to somewhere safer, and _then_...oh, he was even more in need of that nice medieval village now. He needed to take his mind off of the Master. 

And more importantly, perhaps- he needed to change his coat. 


End file.
